Monday, May 19, 2008

Joy rushes in where angels fear to tread

I've been catching up on the action over at Suburban Correspondent's The More, The Messier, and I saw that she had accepted an assignment: to come up with 10 things that give her a joy rush.

So, because I'm feeling all copy-catty these days, here are mine. Read on to discover what a self-centered idiot I really am:

1. Monday mornings. For you working stiffs, Mondays are the start of your work week. But I am a housewife and the mother of school-aged children, so for me, Mondays are the day when everyone gets out of my face and leaves me in relative peace and quiet for six or seven hours. Mondays are also the day when I don't need to drive anywhere until I take the kids to their 5:30 karate class. And so, to all of you who shout "Thank God It's Friday!" I counter with a quiet whisper of pleasure that everyone is off doing something constructive, leaving me alone to think my little thoughts in peace.

2. A freshly-made pot of piping-hot tea.

3. A short stack of much-desired new books and the chance to sit down and read them. And not be interrupted for a couple of hours.

4. The moment I realize that spring has finally arrived in Chicago. For the record, this was a week ago today.

5. Watching my children perform in their music groups.

6. Having them come watch me perform in mine.

7. Looking at my children's baby pictures. After I look at the first three or four, I start banging on their bedroom doors shouting "Come out here RIGHT NOW and look at these ADORABLE baby pictures. Can you believe HOW CUTE YOU WERE? No, you CAN'T because it's UNBELIEVABLE."

8. Fun times with my huzbin.

9. Making people laugh helplessly. Bonus points if it's my huzbin. More points if it's my children. Even more if it's all three of them.

10. Finding a brand-new way to make an idiot out of myself on the internet, and, I hope, make a few more people laugh helplessly:

Kathyr--I send mine to camp. I found an all-day day camp that takes them from 8:30 until about 4:00. They'll be going for eight weeks. They're outdoors for the entire day, and go swimming twice. By the time they get off the bus, they're so physically tired that they are absolutely angelic. This is the last year I'll be able to do it, because camp stops at 13. I have no idea what I'll do next year. Maybe go to camp myself.

After camp: slave gangs or camp counselors in training at same camps, which are really cool because they are at camp all summer - and 1) you don't have to pay for it and 2) sometimes they get a stipend!